• Earth Science Tech seeks to implement a unified strategy aimed at maximizing shareholder value, resolving structural hurdles, and elevating corporate governance 
• The company will hold a virtual annual meeting on August 31, 2026, during which shareholders will vote on key initiatives that will position ETST for an uplisting to a higher-tier exchange, eliminate the structural barriers that hinder the infusion of institutional capital, and prevent stock dilution
• These initiatives are informed by extensive dialogue between shareholders and management leading to a consensus that the company’s current market valuation simply does not accurately reflect its financial success or future potential

The recent annual financial results posted by Earth Science Tech (OTC: ETST) reflect significant success and growth, which the diversified holding company attributes to an overarching focus on optimizing internal operations. The company, for instance, logged consecutive year-over-year increases in revenue and gross profit in the two years to March 31, 2026 (https://ibn.fm/GQzTa), and has maintained positive cash flow, establishing a strong operational and financial foundation. 

ETST’s management is nonetheless building on this foundation to expand the company’s focus toward the capital market and is keen on securing shareholder buy-in to implement a unified strategy aimed at resolving structural hurdles and elevating corporate governance. Specifically, the company is looking to position itself for an uplisting and is intent on eliminating the structural barriers that hinder the infusion of institutional capital.

The execution of this unified strategy hinges on four key initiatives that emerged from extensive dialogue with retail shareholders and institutional investors. (These initiatives will be on the voting agenda at an upcoming annual meeting.) The first initiative seeks to eliminate the existing dual-class voting structure, which dissuades institutional investors from buying into the company. Shareholders can authorize, by way of a vote, the Board’s independent Special Committee to negotiate the cash-only purchase and retirement of the CEO’s Series B Preferred Stock, which holds super-voting power.

Shareholders will also vote on an advisory recommendation to pursue a reverse stock split that will be implemented only if deemed necessary by the Board. The second initiative is aimed at enabling Earth Science Tech to achieve the minimum bid price required to uplist to a higher-tier exchange, such as Nasdaq, NYSE American, or OTCQX. Shareholders can also vote to stop the issuance of stock options, equity bonuses, or other stock-based incentives as executive compensation in favor of cash-centric remuneration. This third initiative is geared toward protecting equity by preventing dilution. The last initiative relates to standard governance matters.

“Our primary directive is to maximize value for our shareholders,” commented Giorgio R. Saumat, CEO and Chairman of the Board. “Over the last few years, we put our heads down to drive operational excellence. That hard work has resulted in consistent positive cash flow and allowed us to actively buy back our own stock, fortifying our balance sheet. However, having listened closely to the feedback from our investors and institutional partners, we agree that our current market valuation simply does not accurately reflect our financial success or future potential.”

Accordingly, the company’s proxy statement, filed with the SEC (https://ibn.fm/lf6ds), represents the company’s efforts to address shareholders’ concerns, protect their equity, and prepare for institutional growth. ETST invites all shareholders to participate in the vote, which is scheduled to be held during its virtual annual meeting on August 31, 2026. “We invite all shareholders to participate in this vote and join us in unlocking our true market value,” concluded Mr. Saumat.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.EarthScienceTech.com. 

NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to ETST are available in the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/ETST 

• Regentis has passed 50% enrollment in the pivotal Phase III SAGE study of GelrinC, with recruitment completion targeted for the third quarter of 2026 and a PMA process expected to begin by the end of 2027.
• FDA approved a single-arm protocol using a historical microfracture control data package the company owns, and Regentis reports that the first 40 patients closely match that control group.
• In Europe, where GelrinC already holds CE Mark approval, surgeon training began in the third quarter of 2026 at Humanitas Research Hospital in Milan, supported by an expanded clinical site network and a newly approved manufacturing process that raises yield approximately 400%.

For development-stage medical technology companies, regulatory approval and commercial revenue often sit years apart. A trial needs to be finished, a submission must clear review, manufacturing has to scale, surgeons must be trained and distribution has to be built. Companies able to run those workstreams in parallel rather than in sequence compress the distance between clinical validation and market adoption. Regentis Biomaterials (NYSE American: RGNT) is attempting exactly that, advancing its GelrinC(R) cartilage repair platform along a U.S. clinical track and a European commercial track and scaling of manufacturing at the same time.

The U.S. Program Approaches Its Defining Milestone

GelrinC is a cell-free, off-the-shelf hydrogel implant for focal articular cartilage defects in the knee. Rather than harvesting cells from the patient, expanding them in a laboratory and implanting them during a second surgery, GelrinC arrives ready to use and is implanted in a procedure lasting roughly 10 minutes. The hydrogel forms a temporary programmed matrix inside the defect, then erodes on a synchronized schedule as surrounding cells aggregate and form new tissue inward.

The pivotal SAGE study is enrolling 80 patients under an FDA-approved IDE protocol running across the U.S., Europe and Israel. More than half of the targeted 80 patients have been recruited and treated, with the study incorporating 24-month follow-up. The company reports no serious adverse events observed to date. Regentis is targeting completion of recruitment in the third quarter of 2026, with a premarket approval submission expected to begin at the end of 2027.

Completing enrollment would move the program out of patient recruitment and into data generation, the phase that produces the package a PMA filing rests on.

A Protocol Designed to Reduce Trial Risk

The study design merits attention on its own. FDA permitted a single-arm protocol using a historical microfracture control data package owned by Regentis and drawn from the TiGenix NV1 program, rather than requiring a concurrent randomized control arm. That design reduces the cost and variability associated with recruiting and managing a concurrent control cohort.

It also provides an early read on comparability. According to the company, the first 40 patients closely match the historical control group in baseline characteristics, an important consideration validating the comparability of the two populations.

The clinical foundation beneath that design came from a 56-patient Phase II study followed for up to five years in Northern Europe and Israel. Primary endpoints were met at 24 months, with approximately 100% greater KOOS pain and function improvement compared to microfracture and a mean MOCART imaging score of 88.8 out of 100, providing additional objective and quantitative evidence of quantity and quality of cartilage repair.

Europe Shifts from Approval to Adoption

Europe sits further along because GelrinC has already secured CE Mark approval. The focus there can therefore shift from obtaining initial authorization toward commercialization, surgeon adoption and distribution.

Hands-on surgeon training begins in the third quarter of 2026 at Humanitas Research Hospital in Milan, with additional sessions planned for other major European markets. Those sessions anchor a growing network of European Centers of Excellence intended to function as clinical hubs were experienced orthopedic surgeons train and support other physicians. The clinical site network behind that effort has expanded beyond Northern and Central Europe into Italy and Eastern Europe, adding sites in Pavia, Hamburg, Ljubljana, Timisoara and Belgrade.

On the commercial side, Regentis has been exploring regional distributors to map country priorities and working with European toll manufacturers on commercial sourcing.

Supply Built Ahead of Demand

Manufacturing is the piece that can stall a launch. In July, the European Notified Body approved the company’s next-generation solvent-free process for GelrinC, which Regentis says increases production yield by approximately 400%, or roughly fivefold, from the same manufacturing volume while lowering cost and improving occupational and environmental safety.

The timing may be as important as the magnitude of the improvement. Regentis can enter European commercialization using the higher-yield process.

Two Timelines, One Objective

The significance of the company’s current position lies in convergence rather than in any single announcement. In the United States, Regentis is progressing towards the enrollment milestone that opens the path toward a PMA filing. In Europe, approval is behind it and the remaining work is training, connecting with distributors and supply. Both tracks point at the same outcome: turning years of clinical development into a cartilage repair product that can be manufactured, sold and used on a scale.

NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to RGNT are available in the company’s newsroom at ibn.fm/RGNT

This content was disseminated on behalf of Regentis Biomaterials Ltd. (NASDAQ: RGNT) as part of a paid marketing engagement with IBN.Ai

RGNT: IBN will receive $30,000 per quarter for a total of 180 days from RGNT for coverage via IBN

Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the IBN website applicable to all content provided by BMW, wherever published or re-published: https://www.BioMedWire.com/Disclaimer

Disseminated on behalf of Powermax Minerals Inc. (CSE: PMAX) (OTCQB: PWMXF) and may include paid advertising. 

• Powermax Minerals is advancing four rare earth exploration projects across Canada and the U.S. as governments seek to reduce reliance on foreign supply chains.
• The company has begun its 2026 field program at the Cameron REE Project in British Columbia, focusing on refining targets identified through earlier geochemical and radiometric work.
• Atikokan in Ontario has produced district-scale REE anomalies, while the Pinard project is entering a Phase 1 exploration program designed to generate and rank targets.
• The Ogden Bear Lodge project gives Powermax exposure to a U.S. rare earth district that has attracted federal support and financing interest.
• The Powermax portfolio provides investors with exposure to the exploration stage of a critical-minerals market facing projected demand growth and a supply chain heavily concentrated in China.

Powermax Minerals (CSE: PMAX) (OTCQB: PWMXF), a Canadian mineral exploration company focused on rare earth projects, is continuing exploration across its North American rare earth element portfolio as demand for critical minerals becomes increasingly linked to energy security and efforts to diversify supply chains.

The company most recently commenced its 2026 exploration program at the Cameron Rare Earth Element Project near Revelstoke, British Columbia. The field program is a follow up on anomalous results from previous stream sediment, soil and rock sampling and refine targets for potential trenching and drilling.

The Cameron exploration program combines geological mapping, prospecting, selective rock sampling, infill soil sampling, additional stream sediment work and ground radiometric surveys. Powermax plans to integrate those datasets into a target-ranking model that can guide subsequent exploration. Previous work at Cameron identified elevated light rare earth oxide, heavy rare earth oxide and total rare earth oxide values. The property also contains mapped pegmatites and historical thorium-uranium occurrences. Powermax cautions that the project remains at an early exploration stage and that geochemical or radiometric anomalies do not establish the presence of economically recoverable mineralization.

The Cameron work is part of a broader strategy. Powermax is building exposure across four projects located in established mining regions, with the objective of reducing reliance on any single exploration target.

The company’s Atikokan REE Project in northwestern Ontario covers 9,416 hectares across three claim blocks. The property sits along the White Otter–Dashwa corridor, where Powermax has identified REE-enriched granitic and pegmatitic systems.

Airborne magnetic and gamma-ray surveys, geological mapping and geochemical sampling conducted in 2025 produced Total Rare Earth Element values ranging from 254 parts per million to 1,947 ppm across Blocks B and C. An integrated interpretation identified a structural and geochemical corridor that the company is now using for surface validation and target ranking.

The Pinard Rare Earths Project provides another Ontario opportunity. Located approximately 70 kilometers north-northeast of Kapuskasing, the property comprises 255 contiguous claims covering 5,178 hectares. Pinard is situated within the Pinard Intrusive Rock Complex, an alkaline to peralkaline igneous system containing syenitic and granitic phases. Such geological environments can be associated with REE mineralization.

Powermax has outlined a Phase 1 program combining historical information with geological mapping, geochemical sampling, radiometric surveys and airborne geophysics. The immediate objective is to identify and prioritize targets for follow-up work.

In the United States, the company holds a 100% interest in the Ogden Bear Lodge Project in Crook County, Wyoming. The 184-hectare property consists of 22 lode claims and is prospective for neodymium-praseodymium oxide mineralization. The project’s location is particularly relevant to investors watching the development of domestic U.S. rare earth supply. Ogden Bear Lodge shares a border with Rare Element Resources’ Bear Lodge Critical Rare Earth Project, which has received $24.2 million in support from the U.S. Department of Energy and a non-binding letter of interest from the Export-Import Bank of the United States for up to $553 million in debt financing.

The backdrop for Powermax’s exploration strategy is a rare earth market undergoing structural change. McKinsey estimates global REE demand could rise from about 59,000 tonnes in 2022 to 176,000 tonnes by 2035, driven in part by electric vehicles and wind power (https://ibn.fm/1hLaV). 

At the same time, the supply chain remains highly concentrated. China accounts for roughly 60% of global rare earth mining and about 90% of processing capacity, according to reporting by the BBC. That concentration has pushed governments in North America to support domestic exploration, processing and supply-chain development. The U.S. has been using federal programs to support critical-mineral projects, while Canada’s Critical Minerals Infrastructure Fund is intended to facilitate investment in infrastructure required by the sector. For Powermax, the policy environment creates a favorable backdrop. With rare earth demand expected to grow and governments seeking alternatives to concentrated overseas supply chains, Powermax is positioning its portfolio within a market where strategic importance is rising. 

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.PowermaxMinerals.com.

NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to PWMXF are available in the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/PWMXF

Exploration Target Cautionary Statement

The exploration targets discussed are conceptual, and there is currently not enough data to confirm a mineral resource. Further exploration may not yield successful results.

• A new Japanese patent allowance follows a recent such US patent grant, strengthens protection around the organic solvent-free manufacturing process and ready-to-use liquid formulation behind GelrinC, extending the company’s intellectual property footprint into one of the world’s largest cartilage-repair markets.
• The process delivers a 5-fold increase in yield along with simplified production and commercial scalability, the manufacturing economics needed to make an off-the-shelf cartilage product commercially viable at scale.
• The milestone lands as Regentis advances European commercialization and passes the halfway mark in enrollment for its pivotal U.S. trial.

Aging populations are pushing joint disease higher on the orthopedic agenda, with cartilage damage representing one of the field’s largest unmet needs. Current treatments have demonstrated clinical utility, but they remain difficult to deliver efficiently and economically on scale. That gap is where off-the-shelf therapies can deliver high value, and where manufacturing know-how and intellectual property becomes just as important as clinical performance.

Regentis Biomaterials (NYSE American: RGNT) is developing GelrinC, a cell-free hydrogel for knee cartilage repair delivered in a single procedure of about 10 minutes, with no cell harvesting or laboratory processing. On July 20, the company strengthened its position in one of the world’s largest cartilage-repair markets.

Japan: A Substantial and Growing Market for Cartilage Repair

Aging is expanding the patient pool for the cartilage-repair opportunity across every developed market, and Asia is growing fastest. Japan is a marquee example. Published research estimates roughly 25 million people over the age of 40 in Japan have radiographic knee osteoarthritis, including about 8 million with symptomatic disease, while independent market research projects the country’s cartilage-repair market will approach $289 million by 2030. Demand is not the question. The competitive question is who can serve the market on a scale. For regenerative medicine companies, geographic expansion requires manufacturing systems capable of supporting broad adoption.

For an Off-the-Shelf Product, the Process Is the Moat

That question turns on manufacturing. Many current cartilage repair approaches rely on cell-based procedures, but their multi-step model, with tissue harvested from the patient, expanded in a laboratory over weeks, then reimplanted, is expensive and difficult to scale, which can involve significant cost and operational complexity. GelrinC is designed around the opposite model: a ready-to-use liquid formulation produced without organic solvents and intended to deliver a simpler, lower-cost alternative to cell-based procedures.

The differentiator is the manufacturing platform behind that formulation. Regentis has developed a solvent-free manufacturing method that raises yield 5-fold, simplifies production, and is built to scale for commercial supply. In a category where an off-the-shelf product only succeeds if it can be manufactured consistently and economically at volume, production capability is a critical commercial differentiator.

IP Protecting a Manufacturing Advantage in a Major Market

The July 20 announcement reinforces that strategy. The Japan Patent Office issued a Notice of Allowance for Regentis’s application covering the solvent-free protein-polymer conjugate compositions and manufacturing methods behind GelrinC’s ready-to-use formulation. Securing patent protection for that process in Japan helps protect the manufacturing approach that supports GelrinC’s scalability and commercial objectives.

“Our proprietary manufacturing technology is a key competitive advantage for GelrinC,” said Ehud Geller, CEO and Executive Chairman of Regentis. The allowance further expands a worldwide portfolio of nearly 30 granted patents spanning product composition, surgical technique, and manufacturing methods, with additional applications pending.

From Approval Toward Commercialization

Regentis is moving from clinical proof toward commercial reality. GelrinC holds CE Mark approval in the European Union, where commercialization efforts are beginning in 2026, and its pivotal U.S. trial has passed 50% enrollment, with a premarket approval preparation targeted for the end of 2027. Beyond knee cartilage repair, the Gelrin platform is also being evaluated for additional applications, including smaller joints and earlier-stage osteoarthritis indications.

The clinical case for GelrinC has been building for years through published imaging and outcome data. The Japanese patent allowance highlights that transforming clinical progress into a global commercial product depends not only on therapeutic performance, but also on manufacturing capability and intellectual property protection. While regulatory approval and clinical outcomes remain the ultimate determinants of success, Regentis is building the operational foundation needed to compete in the expanding cartilage-repair market.

NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to RGNT are available in the company’s newsroom at ibn.fm/RGNT

This content was disseminated on behalf of Regentis Biomaterials Ltd. (NASDAQ: RGNT) as part of a paid marketing engagement with IBN.Ai

RGNT: IBN will receive $30,000 per quarter for a total of 180 days from RGNT for coverage via IBN

Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the IBN website applicable to all content provided by BMW, wherever published or re-published: https://www.BioMedWire.com/Disclaimer

• Real-world asset activity is moving beyond proof-of-concept deployments, with tokenized funds, Treasuries, private credit and commodities increasingly being used across on-chain financial markets.
• As institutional participation grows, the next challenge is building secure, scalable and risk-mitigated infrastructure capable of supporting tokenized assets in production.
• MindWave Innovations is positioning MindChain, an insured Ethereum-compatible Layer 2, to support real-world asset applications alongside insurance, AdTech and ClimateTech through dedicated industry-specific subnetworks.

For years, the promise of blockchain in financial markets centered on putting traditional assets on chain. Now, the harder question is emerging: what infrastructure is needed to make those assets useful on an institutional scale?

Tokenized real-world assets, or RWAs, are beginning to move beyond experimentation. Tokenized Treasury funds, private credit products, commodities and other traditional financial instruments are increasingly being used as collateral, traded through on-chain venues and integrated into decentralized financial applications. A recent CoinShares report found that RWA deposits across lending platforms and decentralized exchanges more than tripled year over year, reaching $7.4 billion in the second quarter of 2026, while RWA spot trading volumes increased approximately 220%.

That growth suggests the opportunity is becoming less about whether traditional assets can be tokenized and more about whether the underlying infrastructure is ready for production.

The Next RWA Challenge Is Infrastructure

Tokenization can make traditional assets more programmable, divisible and accessible, but creating a digital representation of an asset is only one piece of the equation. Institutional adoption also requires reliable settlement, predictable transaction costs, security, governance and mechanisms for managing operational and financial risk.

The market remains relatively concentrated, with tokenized Treasury and multi-strategy funds and private credit accounting for much of current RWA activity. Ethereum hosted close to 70% of RWA deposits tracked by CoinShares, while institutional products can carry average wallet balances in the tens of millions of dollars. As the market expands, infrastructure will be needed to accommodate institutions accustomed to stringent standards around security, reporting, governance and risk management.

That is the market MindWave Innovations (NYSE American: APUS) is targeting with its broader institutional digital-finance strategy.

Building Rails for Tokenized Assets

MindWave is developing MindChain, an Ethereum Virtual Machine-compatible Layer 2 network that the company describes as the world’s first fully insured blockchain. Scheduled for launch in October 2026, MindChain will operate through its own sequencer and validator set while settling transactions on Ethereum.

Rather than treating tokenization as a standalone application, MindChain is being designed around industry-specific use cases. The network is expected to support dedicated subnetworks for real-world assets, insurance, AdTech and ClimateTech, with the initial RWA focus on real estate and commodities.

That structure could allow organizations to establish dedicated blockchain environments with defined operating parameters while remaining connected to the broader MindWave ecosystem. For tokenized assets, such infrastructure could support applications involving ownership, settlement, liquidity and other financial functions.

Risk Mitigation for Institutional Adoption

As more capital moves on-chain, security and risk management become increasingly important. Infrastructure failures, smart-contract vulnerabilities and operational errors can carry greater consequences when significant financial assets are involved.

MindChain’s insurance component is designed to address part of that challenge. Rather than replacing blockchain security measures, the insurance-oriented architecture adds another layer of risk mitigation around a network intended to support financial applications.

That distinction could become increasingly relevant as tokenization moves from pilot programs toward larger-scale deployment. Institutions evaluating blockchain infrastructure need to consider not only whether transactions can be processed, but also how assets are protected, how risks are managed and how the infrastructure performs at scale.

From RWA Issuance to RWA Utility

The evolution of tokenized assets may ultimately depend less on how many assets are issued and more on what those assets can do.

RWA activity is already expanding beyond passive ownership. Tokenized assets are being used across lending, spot trading and other financial applications, while tokenized Treasury products have emerged as forms of on-chain collateral. If that trend continues, the networks supporting RWAs will need to provide more than basic transaction processing. They will need predictable economics, interoperability and flexibility to support different requirements across asset classes.

MindChain’s subnet model is designed around that concept. Its initial focus on real estate and commodities provides a tangible starting point, while the broader network is intended to support multiple industries through dedicated environments.

The Road to MindChain

Recent milestones provide a defined sequence for MindWave’s strategy. NILA, the company’s ecosystem token, became available to U.S. users through Webot on Aug. 3 ahead of the planned MindChain migration. Once the network launches, NILA is expected to become the native asset used for gas, steaking and network security.

MindWave has outlined an August-to-September test net period for community and developer onboarding, with a third-party security audit underway, followed by the expected October 2026 main net launch. The rollout is also expected to include a migration portal, block explorer and bridge interface.

These milestones begin turning MindWave’s blockchain strategy from a conceptual platform into an operating infrastructure layer.

The Institutional Tokenization Opportunity

Real-world asset tokenization remains an early-stage market, representing only a fraction of the value contained in traditional financial markets. Adoption is also concentrated across a relatively small number of products and networks. But as financial institutions move from testing tokenization toward incorporating tokenized assets into lending, trading, collateral and treasury strategies, demand could increasingly shift toward infrastructure designed for reliability, interoperability and risk management.

MindWave is positioning MindChain around that transition. By combining an Ethereum-compatible Layer 2 with dedicated industry subnetworks and insurance-oriented architecture, the company is seeking to provide infrastructure for a market moving from token creation toward real-world utility.

MindChain’s ability to attract users, developers, issuers and institutional capital will ultimately determine the success of the strategy. But as tokenized real-world assets move closer to becoming an established component of digital financial markets, the infrastructure supporting those assets may become just as important as the tokens themselves.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.MindWaveDAO.com.

NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to APUS are available in the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/APUS

Disseminated on behalf of Quantum BioPharma Ltd. (NASDAQ: QNTM) (CSE: QNTM) and may include paid advertising.

• Researchers recognize that a large share of long-term disability accumulates independent of relapses altogether, a phenomenon researchers call progression independent of relapse activity.
• That shift has forced researchers to look at what is actually driving PIRA. A major suspect is chronic active lesions, sometimes called smoldering or mixed active-inactive lesions.
• Rather than broadly suppressing the immune system, Quantum BioPharma’s Lucid-MS is designed to inhibit myelin degradation, preserve myelin and support functional recovery.

Multiple sclerosis is quietly shifting how drugmakers define success. Instead of judging a therapy mainly by whether it reduces relapses, developers are chasing the slower, harder-to-treat processes that drive long-term disability, and Quantum BioPharma (NASDAQ: QNTM) (CSE: QNTM) is one of the companies building a therapy around that shift, through its myelin-focused candidate Lucid-MS.

For decades, MS treatment success was measured largely by relapse rates. Fewer flare-ups meant a drug was working. But researchers now recognize that a substantial proportion of long-term disability accumulates independent of relapses altogether, a phenomenon researchers call progression independent of relapse activity (“PIRA”).

PIRA can occur at any point in the disease, even in early relapsing-remitting MS, and it challenges the old idea that relapsing and progressive MS are separate categories. Instead, evidence increasingly suggests MS behaves more like a continuum, with progressive biology present from the earliest stages of disease. As highly effective therapies have gotten better at stopping relapses, PIRA has become a larger share of the disability picture, since it keeps advancing even when relapse-based measures look calm.

That shift has forced researchers to look at what is actually driving PIRA. An important contributor is chronic active lesions, sometimes called smoldering or mixed active-inactive lesions. These are areas of demyelinated tissue surrounded by a rim of activated microglia and macrophages, often carrying iron, sitting behind a largely intact blood brain barrier. Unlike the acute inflammation behind a relapse, this activity is quiet and sustained, which is why researchers describe it as smoldering.

These lesions are not just a side observation. Their presence is linked to worse long-term prognosis and to the transition from relapsing to progressive disease, and they are associated with impaired remyelination and ongoing tissue injury. Because this inflammatory activity is compartmentalized within the central nervous system (“CNS”) behind a relatively intact blood-brain barrier, it may be less effectively modulated by therapies that primarily target peripheral immune activity.

This is why microglial activation and compartmentalized CNS inflammation have become such active areas of research. Persistent innate immune activation at the edge of these lesions appears to sustain tissue injury even when standard MRI and relapse measures look stable. Some researchers are now pushing for chronic active lesion measurements to be built directly into clinical trials, since conventional relapse-based and MRI endpoints may miss this slow-burning damage entirely.

The result is a research landscape that increasingly values confirmed disability progression, PIRA-specific endpoints and imaging of chronic active lesions alongside, or instead of, plain relapse counts. It also raises a strategic question for drug developers: a therapy that only quiets peripheral immune activity may leave the CNS’s own compartmentalized inflammation untouched.

Quantum BioPharma’s approach to Lucid-MS reflects that reasoning. Rather than broadly suppressing the immune system, the compound is designed to inhibit myelin degradation, preserve myelin and support functional recovery, aiming at the tissue-level damage rather than only the immune trigger behind a relapse. That distinction matters in a field where the most stubborn source of disability may not be stopped by immune suppression alone. 

The company has also been developing tools to actually observe what is happening to myelin in real time. In June 2025, Quantum BioPharma and researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital scanned the first person with MS as part of a joint study validating a PET imaging technique for myelin integrity. The tracer involved was previously shown to be highly sensitive to demyelinated lesions in earlier animal and human studies. Tools like this could eventually help track chronic, low-grade myelin damage more directly than relapse counts or standard MRI scans currently allow.

In addition, Quantum BioPharma just received clearance to begin a phase 2 trial of Lucid-MS on patients with MS, following phase 1 studies that reported a favorable safety profile in healthy volunteers. The filing included data on pharmacology, toxicology and manufacturing quality, moving the program toward human efficacy testing for the very first time.  

Lucid-MS remains an early-stage program, with its evidence to date coming from preclinical models rather than controlled human trials. But its underlying premise, that meaningful progress in MS depends on addressing tissue-level damage and not just circulating immune cells, lines up with where much of the field’s research attention is now headed. As disability progression takes center stage in how new MS therapies are judged, programs built around myelin protection and chronic CNS inflammation are likely to draw closer scrutiny, and Quantum BioPharma’s early work sits directly in that space.

For more information, visit www.QuantumBioPharma.com.

NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to QNTM are available in the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/QNTM

Disseminated on behalf of SPARC AI Inc. (CSE: SPAI) (OTCQB: SPAIF) and may include paid advertising.

• Software can be deployed across thousands of existing aircraft without redesigning the airframe, creating a far larger addressable market than hardware.
• Registration as an AUKUS authorized user gives SPARC AI a permit-free route into U.S. and U.K. defense supply chains.
• Overwatch’s subscription model allows each new connected drone to expand recurring software revenue without requiring additional manufacturing capacity.

For decades, military advantage came from building better aircraft. Today’s battlefield increasingly rewards something different: making inexpensive aircraft smarter. As drones become cheaper and more disposable, software is becoming the primary source of military advantage. A single guided munition can cost more than a hundred small quadcopters, and the conflicts of the past three years have shown that a hundred quadcopters often accomplish more.

SPARC AI Inc. (CSE: SPAI) (OTCQB: SPAIF) is built for that shift, delivering capability through software rather than additional hardware. That distinction is the heart of the investment case.

Why Cheap Drones Go Blind

Cheap aircraft are fragile in one specific way. They depend on satellite navigation, and satellite navigation is the first thing a capable adversary takes away. When a small drone loses GPS to jamming or spoofing, it falls back on an internal inertial measurement unit. Low-cost commercial IMUs accumulate error rapidly, and that compounding error, known as inertial drift, renders targeting data unusable within minutes. The aircraft may continue flying, but it gradually loses confidence in its own position, and, by extension, the location of anything it is trying to observe or target.

The conventional remedy is more equipment: a laser rangefinder, a radar module, a military-grade IMU. Each additional component increases weight, power consumption and cost onto a platform whose value proposition is being cheap enough to expend. Hardening an attritable drone with hardware makes it less attritable.

Software Becomes the Payload

SPARC AI attacks the drift itself. Its Overwatch platform runs machine learning models that identify and correct IMU noise and sensor bias before errors compound. From that stabilized position, the software calculates the ground coordinates of an observed target using the aircraft’s corrected pose, heading and pitch, converting ordinary optics into a precision instrument. Rather than relying on image-recognition databases, it uses line-of-sight mathematics, allowing it to operate over unmapped, smoky or rapidly changing terrain where trained models often struggle. Because the system operates passively, it emits no signals that can be detected or jammed.

The commercial logic follows the technical one. As drone hardware becomes increasingly standardized, differentiation shifts toward the software operating those platforms. Software can be deployed across thousands of existing platforms without redesigning the airframe, creating a much larger addressable market and greater operating leverage than hardware alone. SPARC AI has completed 15 years of research and development behind the approach and holds registered patents in seven countries, including the United States.

Embedding Into Fleets Others Build

Rather than manufacturing drones itself, SPARC AI embeds its software into platforms others already build. Its software development kit integrates with PX4 and ArduPilot, the dominant open-source flight ecosystems, giving manufacturers and developers a straightforward path to add GPS-denied navigation and targeting capabilities to existing fleets. Overwatch is also validated on the Parrot ANAFI GOV/MIL, a U.S.-built airframe on the Blue UAS Cleared List.

Commercial traction is beginning to build alongside product development. In May 2026, SPARC AI announced a partnership with U.S. defense contractor Rate Manufacturing to integrate Overwatch into its Model-F multi-mission drone systems unveiled at SOF Week in Tampa. A preferred reseller agreement with Precision Technic Defence Group extends distribution across Australia, Europe and the United States. The company has also established a permanent engineering presence in Ukraine, working alongside frontline drone manufacturers where electronic warfare is among the most demanding in the world and rapid product iteration is essential.

The AUKUS Unlock

On June 22, 2026, the Australian government registered SPARC AI as an authorized user under the AUKUS license-free environment established through the Defense Trade Controls Amendment Act 2024. Registration gives the company a permit-free route, potentially reducing administrative barriers to collaboration with eligible defense organizations in the United States and United Kingdom. 

Revenue That Scales with the Fleet

Defense contractors traditionally earn revenue by selling hardware one platform at a time. SPARC AI is pursuing a software model instead. The company charges an annual subscription for each connected device, meaning every additional drone running Overwatch becomes recurring revenue rather than another manufacturing project. Management has articulated an ambitious long-term objective: connect one million devices to the platform. Every new hardware partner has the potential to expand that installed base without requiring SPARC AI to manufacture a single aircraft. Separately, the company maintains a relatively tight capital structure, with approximately 19.3 million shares outstanding and insiders owning roughly 40%.

As military organizations increasingly field larger numbers of lower-cost autonomous systems, competitive advantage may depend less on who manufactures the airframe and more on who provides the intelligence that enables those platforms to operate effectively. SPARC AI is positioning Overwatch to become part of that software layer, allowing existing drone fleets to navigate, target and execute missions with greater resilience in GPS-denied environments.

For more information, visit the company’s website at https://sparcai.co.

NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to SPAIF are available in the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/SPAIF

Disseminated on behalf of Lahontan Gold Corp. (TSX.V: LG) (OTCQB: LGCXF) and may include paid advertising.

• The forces underpinning gold’s recent strength are structural rather than momentary, even as the price itself has been volatile.
• All four of Lahontan’s properties sit within the Walker Lane trend and are located entirely within the United States.
• “This outstanding drill intercept, which includes some of the highest gold grades drilled to date within the Central Calvada deposit, reinforces the importance of the Calvada resource to the Santa Fe Mine project,” notes company exec.

Gold’s recent strength has increasingly been driven by structural demand rather than short-term speculation, and 2026 has provided investors with no shortage of reasons to seek safe-haven assets. Amid that backdrop sits Lahontan Gold (TSX.V: LG) (OTCQB: LGCXF), a Canadian mineral exploration company that, through its U.S. subsidiaries, owns four top-tier gold and silver exploration properties in the Walker Lane trend of Nevada, anchored by its flagship Santa Fe Mine Project. The company is currently advancing Santa Fe toward a construction decision while running an active drilling campaign designed to define low-cost, near-term sources of gold and silver production.

Although gold experienced meaningful price swings during the first half of 2026, the World Gold Council concluded that geopolitical tensions, central bank buying and sustained investor demand continued to support the broader market despite elevated volatility.

For developers, that distinction matters because a stronger long-term pricing environment can improve project economics, financing options and investment interest. Central bank accumulation, particularly from emerging markets, has been a defining feature of that structural demand. Goldman Sachs analysts said in May 2026 that they now expect central banks to average around 60 tonnes per month through 2026, supported by continued diversification demand amid geopolitical uncertainty. Per data compiled by Discovery Alert, Poland has been the most aggressive single buyer, leading 2026 accumulation with 64 tonnes through May, while China, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan have also been consistent purchasers. That accumulation has coincided with a broader shift in reserve composition, with gold now representing a larger share of global central bank reserves than U.S. Treasuries for the first time since 1996.

This sovereign buying does more than support a price floor; it changes the character of gold demand itself. Central banks buy for policy reasons tied to sanctions risk, currency diversification and reserve credibility rather than short-term trading conviction, which makes their purchases comparatively insensitive to price swings.

That dynamic was visible in the first quarter of 2026. Despite a pullback in spot prices, analysis found that central banks globally added a net 244 tonnes of gold to their reserves, a 17% increase from the previous quarter, while bar and coin demand from individual and institutional investors jumped 42% to 474 tonnes, the second-highest quarterly total on record. That combination, official accumulation continuing through weakness while private investors buy the dips, is the kind of two-sided support that has historically been difficult to sustain for gold and helps explain why Western investors have shown renewed willingness to add exposure on pullbacks rather than wait for a deeper correction.

For gold producers and developers, this environment has translated into unusually strong free cash flow. This gives many miners room to fund growth internally, return capital to shareholders through buybacks and dividends, and reduce reliance on dilutive equity financing. But not every gold company benefits equally from a rising price environment. Jurisdictional risk remains one of the biggest swing factors in how the market values an ounce in the ground, and developers with politically stable, well-permitted assets tend to command a premium over peers exposed to nationalization risk, currency controls, or unpredictable permitting regimes overseas.

This is where Lahontan’s Nevada-based portfolio stands out. All four of the company’s properties sit within the Walker Lane trend and are located entirely within the United States. Nevada has repeatedly ranked as a top jurisdiction globally for mining investment and received the highest policy perception index score of any jurisdiction, reflecting favorable views on permitting, taxation, regulatory clarity and overall governance. The state has also ranked consistently in the top 10 over the last 11 surveys. For developers competing for investment capital, operating in a stable mining jurisdiction can be as important as the quality of the deposit itself.

Santa Fe’s development strategy is progressing on multiple fronts. Alongside permitting activities, Lahontan continues expanding and refining the resource through targeted drilling designed to improve mine planning while identifying additional near-surface oxide mineralization.

The company’s latest results from Central Calvada illustrate that strategy. A drill hole originally designed to collect geotechnical information for mine permitting also intersected a significant interval of oxide gold mineralization. It intersected 30.8 meters of oxide mineralization grading 0.93 g/t gold equivalent near the base of the current resource pit shell, including a rich 10.7-meter section grading 2.18 g/t gold equivalent. Two additional holes drilled nearby, at the south end of the Slab open pit, also hit gold-bearing rock at surface. Those intersected 15.2 meters grading 0.40 g/t gold equivalent and 9.1 meters grading 0.22 g/t gold equivalent.

“This outstanding drill intercept, which includes some of the highest gold grades drilled to date within the Central Calvada deposit, reinforces the importance of the Calvada resource to the Santa Fe Mine project,” said Lahontan founder, chair, and CEO Kimberly Ann. “Once again, a drill hole originally planned to collect geotechnical data, in support of mine permitting, was carefully designed by our team to also intersect the core of the Central Calvada gold deposit, delivering excellent gold grades.

More recently, Lahontan reported one of the highest-grade intercepts encountered during the current campaign, returning 12.2 meters grading 9.74 g/t gold equivalent within a broader mineralized interval. Management said the results continue to demonstrate the potential for higher-grade zones within the Santa Fe system while supporting ongoing resource refinement and future mine planning.

Separately, a sonic drilling program targeting historic heap leach pads and stockpiles left behind by a previous operator has pointed to a lower-cost reprocessing opportunity. Results showed an average grade of 2.3 g/t gold equivalent across the first three sonic drill holes in a historic low-grade stockpile, including a standout intercept of 9.9 meters grading 2.40 g/t gold and 50.7 g/t silver. Preliminary metallurgical testing also supported the reprocessing concept, indicating that a meaningful portion of the contained gold is amenable to conventional heap-leach recovery.

Beyond the core Santa Fe deposit, the nearby West Santa Fe project offers additional exploration upside. Management believes the project could eventually provide supplemental feed to the planned processing infrastructure, potentially extending mine life while leveraging the same operating platform.

Taken together, Lahontan’s recent progress illustrates how the company is advancing Santa Fe on multiple fronts simultaneously. Continued drilling, permitting work, resource expansion and evaluation of historic stockpiles all contribute to a strategy focused on building a scalable Nevada gold operation. If structural demand continues supporting gold prices, developers capable of efficiently advancing low-cost projects in premier mining jurisdictions may be well positioned as the next generation of North American gold mines moves toward production.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.LahontanGoldCorp.com.

NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to LGCXF are available in the company’s newsroom at ibn.fm/LGCXF

• Earth Science Tech, a growing healthcare holding company, recently reported its Q1 2027 financial results, with key highlights including $9.0 million in revenue, $6.3 million in gross profit, $715,697 in net income, $707,131 in net cash, and $10.4 million in total assets.
• According to the CEO, the Q1 2027 figures reflect steady, compounding progress and are the result of a foundation built in the 2026 financial year.
• The company’s strategy of carefully acquiring and scaling cash-flowing assets across healthcare, pharmaceutical, and telemedicine sectors, is driving growth to support uplisting and attract institutional capital.

Earth Science Tech (OTC: ETST), a diversified holding company, recently announced its Q1 2027 financial results for the period ended June 30, 2026. Key financial highlights included increases in revenue, gross profit, net income, and total assets, compared to the same period in fiscal year 2026 (“Q1 2026”). According to Giorgio R. Saumat, CEO and Chairman of the Board, Q1 2027 underscored the durability of the foundation ETST established in fiscal 2026, with the results reflecting “steady compounding progress and the inherent operating leverage within its business model” (https://ibn.fm/p9BPV). The company recorded $9.0 million in revenue in Q1 2027, up from $8.8 million in Q1 2026, representing a 3% growth. Its gross profit increased 3.1% to $6.3 million in Q1 2027 from $6.1 million in Q1 2026, while its net income jumped 57% to $715,697 from $456,714 over the intervening period. The company also reported a 108.4% increase in operating cash flow to $707,131 from $339,376; its total assets grew 33.3% to $10.4 million in Q1 2027 from $7.8 million in Q1 2026. Furthermore, all its key operating subsidiaries remained profitable. This has had the net effect of both strengthening ETST’s balance sheet and further diversifying its earnings base beyond one entity. Thus, compared to where the business was just a few years ago, Mr. Saumat explained, Q1 2027 further validates that Earth Science Tech’s strategic platform is becoming “increasingly efficient, diversified, and profitable.” ETST also repurchased and retired more than 3.7 million shares, without adding debt to its balance sheet. This represents the company’s focus on returning significant value to its shareholders while remaining highly disciplined stewards of capital. “Looking ahead, we are focused on scaling the business by expanding our geographic footprint, advancing our telehealth and pharmacy fulfillment platforms, and building long-term, sustainable shareholder value,” stated Mr. Saumat. The company maintains rigorous internal standards and is actively focused on driving even greater operational efficiencies. At the same time, the company’s management is expanding its focus toward the capital markets to draw more institutional investors and ensure its public valuation reflects its financial success and future potential. To that end, Earth Science Tech is exploring the possibility of purchasing and retiring Series B preferred stock, which holds super-voting powers, thus eliminating the existing dual-class voting structure that otherwise keeps institutional investors away. Earth Science Tech is also keen on uplisting to a higher-tier exchange, such as Nasdaq, NYSE, or OTCQX, with the company’s move to attract institutional investors being a part of this strategy. The company also noted that the viability of these proposed strategies, as well as other matters relating to executive compensation and governance, is dependent on the outcome of the votes cast at the company’s 2026 Annual Meeting of Shareholders, scheduled for Monday, August 31, 2026 (https://ibn.fm/J1JSz). For more information, visit the company’s website at www.EarthScienceTech.com. NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to ETST are available in the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/ETST

Disseminated on behalf of Lahontan Gold Corp. (TSX.V: LG) (OTCQB: LGCXF) and may include paid advertising.

• Lahontan Gold Corp. is a dual-listed Canadian/U.S. mine development and exploration company advancing a portfolio of gold and silver assets across Nevada’s Walker Lane, one of the world’s premier mining jurisdictions.
• The company’s flagship Santa Fe Mine historically produced more than 359,000 ounces of gold and 702,000 ounces of silver and is being advanced toward a potential restart, supported by an expanding resource base and existing infrastructure.
• Led by Founder, CEO and President Kimberly Ann, Lahontan combines experienced leadership with a disciplined development strategy focused on unlocking value from past-producing oxide gold and silver assets.

Gold and silver continue to play an essential role in the global economy. While they remain trusted stores of value during periods of economic uncertainty, the metals are also critical to industries ranging from electronics and medical technology to renewable energy. As demand continues to grow, the need to responsibly develop new domestic sources of precious metals has become increasingly important.

Dual-listed on the TSX Venture Exchange and OTCQB, Lahontan Gold Corp. (TSX.V: LG) (OTCQB: LGCXF) is advancing a portfolio of gold and silver assets across Nevada’s Walker Lane trend, one of the world’s most prolific precious metals districts. The company is focused on unlocking value from past-producing, infrastructure-rich oxide deposits while emphasizing efficient project development, disciplined capital allocation and long-term shareholder value.

At the center of Lahontan’s portfolio is the Santa Fe Mine, a past-producing open-pit, heap-leach gold and silver operation that produced more than 359,000 ounces of gold and over 702,000 ounces of silver between 1988 and 1995. The project benefits from significant existing infrastructure, including road access, power and water, while more than 79% of its known resources remain free of royalties, providing additional economic flexibility.

Currently, according to a NI 43-101 resource estimate, Santa Fe hosts 1.54 million ounces of gold equivalent (“AuEq”) in the Indicated category and an additional 0.41 million ounces AuEq in the Inferred category, all pit-constrained. Santa Fe continues to advance on multiple fronts, with Lahontan recently announcing that an updated Mineral Resource Estimate incorporating results from 87 drill holes totaling 7,751 meters is expected within weeks, followed by a revised Preliminary Economic Assessment targeted for completion by the end of August 2026. These milestones, alongside ongoing engineering and permitting work, are expected to further define the project’s economics as the company advances toward its goal of commencing construction in 2027.

Beyond Santa Fe, Lahontan is advancing several additional exploration assets that could provide additional development and long-term growth. The nearby West Santa Fe project, located approximately 13 miles from the flagship operation, is being evaluated as a potential satellite deposit capable of complementing future mining activities at Santa Fe.

As demand for gold and silver continues to be supported by both traditional investment markets and a growing range of industrial applications, the industry’s focus is increasingly shifting toward projects that combine resource quality with practical development advantages. With a flagship asset supported by existing infrastructure, near-term resource and economic updates, and additional exploration upside across its Nevada portfolio, Lahontan Gold appears well positioned to participate in the next phase of precious metals development.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.LahontanGoldCorp.com.

NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to LGCXF are available in the company’s newsroom at ibn.fm/LGCXF